Gherkin, left. Hearst Tower, right. "Norma Foster's Hearst Tower in New York seems less at home than does Britain's 'Gherkin' in London"

"Today, European architects regularly work in the United States, Americans work in Europe, and everybody works in Asia. This globalization of architecture would seem like a good thing for us and it's obviously good for (many) architects. [...] Architecture, however, is a social art, rather than a personal one, a reflection of society and its values rather than a medium of individual expression. So it's a problem when the prevailing trend is one of franchises particularly those of the globe trotters: Renzo, Rem, Zaha and Frank. It's exciting to bring high-powered architects in from the outside. [...] But in the long-run it's wiser to nurture local talent; instead of starchitects, locatects."

In a fascinating piece for T Magazine, Witold Rybczynski discusses the limitations of globalized architecture and makes the case for "locatecture" that has a "true sense of place." Read the full article at T Magazine.